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P. J. Leonard

Tick

Synopsis

PRAISE FOR TICK: "TICK is an inspiring, enthralling feline read." - Erin Hunter, International bestselling author of the 'Warriors' series.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Tom Verbrisser is only 18 years old and already has it all. A rising business empire. The fastest car. The biggest house. The finest clothes. He is also a cat. Oh. Well, that last one wasn't part of the plan.
'Tick' is the story of a young man called Tom. At the age of 18, Tom has it all: a house, a car, a sharp suit, and very soon, a business empire to inherit from his deceased father. One night, he has the strangest experience: all of the London Underground maps have changed his local station to his name. Curious, he follows the signs bearing his name, all the way to an Old Diary factory...
...and then he wakes up. Ah, just a dream, of course! So imagine his surprise, then, when he rolls out of bed and finds out he's turned into a cat.
The race is on for Tom, who must return to being a human within three days, or he will lose his inheritance to his rival, Muezza. But there is more to Tom's changing into a cat than he believed possible. With the help of his own pet cat and a colorful cast of cats from the neighborhood, Tom must make a transformation back to humanity in more ways than one.

Author Biography

P.J Leonard grew up in Worcester in the UK. He first took an interest in writing in primary school, turning a simple writing project into a 10-page epic, much to the chagrin of the teachers.
He moved to Japan in 2010 and lives there to this day, working in Tokyo by day and writing on packed commuter trains by night.

Author Insight

One of those mornings...

Ah, the old cliche: just a dream. Or, the other cliche: it wasn't a dream after all, but achingly real.
But what if the strange new reality had nothing at all to do with that dream?

Book Excerpt

Tick

“AAAAAAAAGH!”

Tom launched upright, fighting to free himself. Something huge and thick tangled around him, suffocating him. Lashing out, the binds fell away, and he breathed again. His heart pounded, and it was a while before he noticed he was in his own bed, in his own room, and a pale dawn crept through his window.

He slumped back onto his pillow. Just a dream. A silly, harmless dream. Sweet relief washed over him, and he broke into fits of laughter. I was starting to believe it! Letting out a long, rattling sigh, he glanced up at the clock on the wall. Twenty past eight. Nice and early, too. In his head he was already planning his day: head up to the shop for the papers; cook a full English breakfast; work on his presentation; catch up on his shows recorded last night...

It was only when Tom rolled out of his Kingsize bed that things started to go wrong. His bed was massive –precisely why he’d brought it – but he never recalled it being this big. When he reached out a leg to plant on the floor, he found only air. He lost his balance and tumbled out, falling further than seemed right before finally hitting the floor. Luckily, he landed on his feet.

Staggering, he looked up at his bed. It towered over him. So did his desk, walk-in wardrobe, wall-length fish tank and everything else. Why did he feel so small? He tried to turn his neck, but he felt sore all over. He tried to stand up, but his back legs wouldn’t support him properly, and he slumped back on all fours.

Bewildered, he crawled out of his room, pushing his way through the crack in the door, and made for the bathroom. The door was closed, and he couldn’t reach the handle. Well, if his dream had been strange, this was shaping up to be far, far worse.

He looked down the stairs. They were a big and bold feature even when he felt his normal self, but from this new angle they looked positively hill-like. Reaching an arm out, he tried to lower himself down to the next step – until he caught sight of his arm.